


i never saw you coming (and i'll never be the same)

by ruzekhalstead



Series: luke & julie au collection [15]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Grocery Store, F/M, M/M, alex and reggie are just adorable with julie, basically just julie and luke flirting in the workplace, julie is in love with luke from first glance and im not even mad about it, the entire crew works together in different departments, weirdly specific au about my suckish job pls enjoy my suffering in the form of this fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29815110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruzekhalstead/pseuds/ruzekhalstead
Summary: julie molina, a new student to uc berkeley, secures a job at a tiny, run-down grocery store, where she meets a group of people who inadvertently become some of the most important people in her life.there's nothing like suffering in the workplace with your co-workers to solidify a bond.a look into julie's life in a brand new city, as told by the customer service experience throughout the months.-an oddly specific grocery store au that no one asked for but i'm writing anyway to satisfy my brain
Relationships: Julie Molina & Luke Patterson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Series: luke & julie au collection [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2202399
Comments: 90
Kudos: 143





	1. september

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Wizard Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27500788) by [pearlcaddy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pearlcaddy/pseuds/pearlcaddy). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> julie gets the job and makes an instant connection with co-worker, luke patterson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! i'm back!!
> 
> i'm sure you're all sick of hearing me speak about this au in my past fics, BUT IT'S FINALLY HERE
> 
> i apologize if this chapter wasn't too interesting. i was trying to settle the dust, and i promise i'll be going into more detail on everyone, their back stories, what they're doing with their lives further on in the chapters. i just wanted to keep this first one simple, and all about how julie got to where she is.
> 
> also, it's been a while since i've just been a cashier, so pls bear with me. this is also based on my canadian experience, so i'll try to keep it as general as possible tehe.
> 
> i'll warn you now, the chapters probably won't be as long as i usually write them, because as it says in the description, it's going to follow the months, and some may be shorter than others. i hope yall like this setup, i'm trying something new haha (i just really want to showcase the struggle, ESPECIALLY THE HOLIDAY STRUGGLE - literally, get ready for everyone to be grumpy and pissed at the world bc it's christmas and they've been working for 8+ hours and customers are literally dumb)
> 
> also, i'll try to be as specific as possible, but some things obviously won't make as much sense to yall bc i'm picturing my store in my head. so, if you guys have any questions, just let me know and i'll answer them!!!
> 
> anyway, sorry this is so long, i just want to get some of these things out of the way first. if yall have been following along with me, you know this is something i've been excited about for a long time, so i really hope it turns out well and yall enjoy it.
> 
> i would also like to mention, this is definitely inspired by pearlcaddy's wizard love, in that it is an oddly specific workplace au. go check out their work if you haven't already!!! (i'm sure you all have, it's all so amazing)
> 
> anyway, okay, please enjoy and thank you for reading it!!!

At 20 years-old and a first-year at UC Berkeley, Julie Molina knew that her life was about to become increasingly complicated. She knew that university was no walk in the park, but she also had been mentally preparing herself all summer; she was ready.

Julie moved into her very own off-campus apartment at the end of August. It was a big step for her, as she'd never been away from home such as like this. Living on her own was also a brand new challenge; however, her building was filled with other students who also attended Berkeley. She met some friends when moving in; she was surprised at how friendly they were, one even going so far as to inform her of some job opportunities in the area.

If Julie was going to be living on her own and attending university, she needed a steady income.

So, when her building-mate Flynn suggested her own place of work, a grocery store just down the street, Julie figured there was no harm in at least applying. Unbeknownst to her, Flynn put in a good word on her behalf, and within a week, Julie was already receiving a call to come in and interview.

Flynn was quite straight up with her. It was a hell-on-earth type place to work, there was no question about it. But the silver lining were the people and the flexibility of hours during university classes. A lot of their part-time staff were students, due to the proximity to Berkeley, so they were more than understanding about their erratic schedules and were able to accommodate.

Julie's interview went as good as could be expected. On the day of the interview, she followed her phone's directions and arrived within minutes by foot. It was part of a large-chain company, with stores all over the country. But Flynn had warned her that this was one of the oldest stores in the state; it was outdated and quite literally, falling apart at the seams (they mostly just ignored it). Julie liked that it was smaller; it settled her nerves about being the newbie.

When she walked in for her interview, she went right to customer service. There was a bit of a line-up, as it was also where they sold their lottery, but she noticed another individual behind the counter with a safety vest on over his jacket. She could only see the back of his head, so she approached cautiously and called out quietly, "Excuse me?"

The individual whirled around and it took everything in Julie's power to not gasp loudly. He was unbelievably gorgeous, with shaggy brown hair that flicked out under his beanie and captivating green eyes that seemed to widen upon noticing her. _So far, not bad at all,_ Julie thought to herself.

"Can I help you with something?"

His voice was smooth and upbeat for someone at work, and he was shooting her a sweet smile, which only flustered her further.

"Yeah, I have an interview with Casey?"

Julie's eyes flickered down to the name tag peeking out from inside his jacket. _Luke_. His face lit up at her words, and Julie hesitantly smiled in return.

"Oh, awesome! I'll go get her for you!" He offered politely, whirling on his heels to walk away. Before he got far, he turned back around with a charming smile. "Good luck." And as if his smile wasn't enough to have her mind running a mile a minute, he had the audacity to drop his right eyelid in a wink.

Julie could only blink in response.

She didn’t see him again that day, but she was too preoccupied to think about him anyway. She had her interview to focus on, which went surprisingly well. The Front End Manager, Casey, asked her some very basic questions, some scenario questions and about her previous work or volunteer history. It was all very routine, and she left the store feeling good.

She looked for Luke on her way out but didn’t see him.

Julie met up with Flynn later that night in her apartment to talk about it. Flynn was adamant she was going to get the job; as she so eloquently put it, “they’ve hired way dumber people than you.” Julie retaliated by throwing a spring roll at her (it was Chinese night).

But lo and behold, the next day, Julie received a call offering her the job. Of course she jumped at the opportunity, quickly agreeing to go in the next day to complete all her computer courses. Casey informed her that she would be spending about four hours in a small computer room located in the back, and it was ridiculously cold, so to bring a sweater. Flynn seconded that; she claimed no one told her and she froze her ass off.

And that’s how she found herself in a cramped room surrounded by a dinosaur age computer and random supplies. On the bright side, she was flying through the courses. The tedious part was that you couldn’t skip through the entire course and just do the quizzes, so she was going as fast as that would allow her.

Julie was about three hours into her courses, and it was starting to get boring. She was leaning her cheek on her hand as she clicked through the courses when the door slammed open. Julie jumped, turning to the door with an alarmed expression; she probably would have screamed if she didn't catch sight of a familiar face.

It was Luke. With friends, this time.

Luke seemed to be the one that ripped open the door, stopping alarmingly when he realized the room was occupied. His eyes were wide, but they widened even more when he seemingly recognized her. His two friends peeked curiously over his shoulders, a tall blonde and a smiley brunette.

"Oh hey! It's you!"

The blonde behind him pushed him farther into the room; she wasn't kidding when she said it was a small, cramped room already. "God, that's so romantic, Lukas. Who are you talking to?" He pushed under Luke's arm and sent Julie a dazzling smile. "Oh, hello. I'm Alex!"

"Uh — Julie?" She replied hesitantly, wheeling herself farther into the room so Luke's other friend could push him out of the way to introduce himself.

"Hi, Julie! I'm Reggie! Did you just get hired?"

Julie nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'm doing my training now."

"Do you want to die yet?" Alex asked, eyeing the computer over her shoulder.

"Wanted to like two hours ago," she responded honestly. The way they all let out a chuckle made a warm feeling bloom across her chest. "Sorry. Did you guys need something?"

Luke finally pushed himself back to the forefront. "No, sorry to interrupt," he started, and Julie still could not get over the beauty of his eyes. "We just sometimes have lunch here. It's usually empty."

"Oh, sorry!" Julie apologized, immediately making a move to stand up. "I can go —"

Alex placed a delicate hand on her arm and pushed her back down, a fond smile on his features. "God, you're adorable. We're going to keep you."

"We're going to ruin her," Reggie corrected, watching in delight as Julie's expression morphed into one of horror. "Well, this job is. But don't worry, we'll keep you sane!"

Luke elbowed Reggie in the gut, nearly bodychecking him out of the way. "Ignore these dorks. Uh, I'm assuming you got hired for front end?"

"Yeah, cashier."

"Oh cool, Luke's also in front end," Alex explained cheerily. "I'm in grocery. Which in retrospect was a big mistake on my part because I hate talking to people, especially annoying customers."

Reggie poked his head back over Luke's shoulders. "I'm over in produce!"

"You'll know that soon because he's notorious for knocking over displays," Alex teased, ducking when Reggie tried to swat him. "Anyway, we'll let you finish. It was nice to meet you, Julie! We'll see you soon!"

Alex and Reggie easily squeezed out of the room, but Luke hung back, scratching the back of his neck in what looked like was a nervous tic. "I'm glad you got the job. We needed some fresh blood around here."

"That's very... welcoming? Thank you," she laughed.

"Anyway, I'll see you around," he replied, sending her a charming smile.

Julie sent him a nod, and watched as he closed the door behind him.

Well, so far, everyone seemed very welcoming... and young. Flynn had warned her that a lot of the staff was on the young side because it catered to the university students in the area. Julie didn't mind; she absolutely loved everything about Alex and Reggie and their friendship seemed so wholesome, it made her heart squeeze.

And clearly, Luke had caught her attention more than once. She was lowkey glad he would be working in her department; that meant she would probably see him often. It seemed childish and maybe a little high-schoolish, but she was in a brand new city and she needed friends. And if said friendship were to turn into something more? Well then, who was she to stand in the way of that?

Julie flew through her last two courses, and she was ready for a nap. She made her way out of the backroom and up to the front of the store where the front/cash office was located. On her way up, she passed multiple aisles and customers, including Alex who was stocking a few shelves.

"Don't work too hard," Julie teased as she passed him by.

His neck snapped up and a smile instantly made its way onto his features. "I never do, Jules, good night!"

She tried to hide her ridiculously large smile at the newfound nickname.

After checking in with the Front End Manager and Supervisor for any outstanding paperwork, her computer and paper training was officially finished. Now she was to come in the following day and have her training shift on an actual till. After that, she would have three cash shifts with another cashier so they could help her with any questions, and then she'd be on her own.

It was a lot, but she was incredibly excited.

After thanking them and bidding them goodbye, Julie left the store feeling accomplished. As she left, she spotted Reggie working away in produce, which was located on the right side of the store when you first walked in. She was too far away to say goodbye, but she waved when they accidentally made eye contact.

She's really going to like it here.

Julie spotted Luke's safety vest far out in the parking lot. She knew he was front end, and from the safety vest she saw him with the first time, she assumed he worked as a bagger. From what Flynn had explained, a bagger (AKA cart boy) collected carts from the parking lot and brought them back into the lobby. Aside from that, they were in charge of all the nitty-gritty jobs no one else wanted to do: changing garbages, cleaning washrooms, cleaning spills, helping other departments and doing all the running around.

But on the bright side, they weren't trapped inside like everyone else. Whenever they wanted, they could go outside and get some fresh air.

Julie envied that.

When Luke spotted her across the parking lot, he easily made his way over (maybe he was speed walking, but who's judging?). "Hey! All done?"

"All done!" Julie held up her bag which contained her employee manual and uniform. The uniform consisted of a black t-shirt embroidered with their store name (Moxie's) and a black apron. The apron wasn't mandatory and Julie couldn't see herself wearing it if she didn't have to. She was glad she could wear her own pants, and just standard jeans would suffice. "I'll be back tomorrow for my cash training."

Luke waved a hand nonchalantly. "Ah, piece of cake."

She wasn't particularly nervous about the next part of her training, but she had a weird suspicion it was because she figured Luke would be around.

So, she tucked a stray curl behind her ear and nervously looked up at him from underneath her lashes. "Uh — will you be here tomorrow?" Her voice was shaky, and she thought she was blushing but she just didn't want to focus on that for now.

Luke was too busy admiring the way the sunlight caught on her eyes, and he nearly missed her question. But then he noticed how fidgety she was and how pure and innocent her question was, and he couldn't help the smile that stretched on his lips. "I'm not working tomorrow, no. But you might still see me."

Julie raised her eyebrows slightly in question, but as per usual Luke, he just winked to fluster her further.

"Good luck tomorrow, Julie," he said and he started walking away. "You're going to kill it!"

Not even she had that much faith in herself, so she really appreciated it. She was also actively not thinking about the fact that she hadn't even started her actual job, and she was already caught in a full-on flirtationship with one of her co-workers (she wasn't complaining though). Even when she stopped by Flynn's apartment and she asked how her training went and if she had met anyone yet, Julie, as nonchalantly as possible mentioned that she might have met a few people. But even this early in their relationship, Flynn could see right through her and demanded to know all the details. Julie kept things light, because really, she had only met Luke twice and spent a total of five minutes with him.

Did she feel an instant connection?

Maybe.

Did she think he was absolutely gorgeous and want to spend as much time with him as possible?

Yes, definitely.

And maybe she went to sleep that night thinking of his perfect smile , but honestly, she didn't see the problem.

* * *

When Julie reported to work for training, she wasn't too worried. It was just ringing items through; how hard could it be?

She was sorely mistaken.

It didn't take long before she was hit with so much information that she was merely just blinking as she tried to keep up.

_"Refunds over twenty dollars need to be approved by a Manager."_

_"All hundreds and fifties need to be checked by a Supervisor."_

_"Refunds without a receipt need to go back on a gift card."_

_"All fruits and vegetables that are weighed have a four digit UPC; you'll learn to memorize them the more you work."_

_"No refunds back on debit. Either cash, gift card, or back on their credit card if that's how they've paid for it."_

_"Print a duplicate receipt after you change a price and write down why."_

_"If your shift is under five hours, you're entitled to a paid fifteen minute break."_

_"The code to page is *3302."_

_"Face all your bills facing the same direction in the register."_

Julie truly hoped she was retaining all the information she was hearing; even as she listened, her trainer was showing her all the functions on the till. There was a menu just for refunds, completely with specific reasons as to why that product was being returned. There was a menu solely for transactions, to suspend and cancel. There was even an entire void menu (a tad bit intimidating) which would void any forms of payment if you put it in wrong.

The till had _so_ many buttons, and Julie was a meticulous perfectionist. She wouldn't be able to rest until she memorized the mechanics of the entire system, and before she was even given the opportunity, she was tasked with grabbing a cart, heading through the entire store to grab random items off the shelf and out of produce. She grabbed as much produce as possible, because not only did she need to memorize the system, she also needed memorize hundreds of produce codes (her brain literally wouldn't rest until she did).

As she made her way through the produce department, she was so focused on grabbing every different type of apple she could, that she didn't notice Reggie walking up behind her. "That's a Granny Smith," he offered from behind her ear. The shock caused her to squeak, the apple popping right out of her hand and rolling onto the floor. "Sorry Julie! Didn't mean to scare you!"

Julie's face was burning and she went to pick up the apple, but Reggie beat her to it and threw it into her cart. "No, it's fine. Sorry, I'm just jumpy."

"Don't be nervous," he said softly, shooting her a kind grin. "Seriously, the more relaxed you are, the easier things will be."

"Thanks," Julie replied. She felt herself let out a breath of relief. "There's just so much information to remember."

Reggie seemed to ponder on her words for a moment. "Honestly, I literally don't know anything and I'm still employed."

Julie let out a laugh, feeling genuinely better. "Thanks Reggie, that really helped."

"Good!" Reggie smiled, patting her shoulder affectionately before walking away.

Julie really did feel better. She knew her way of coping with this new change and new job was to learn the job inside and out as fast as possible, but Reggie was right, she just needed to relax. As she went through the rest of the store, grabbing random items, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she felt so much better. Even when she went back to her training till, loaded everything up on the conveyor belt and started ringing everything through, she didn't stress once.

Scanning through the product was a breeze; all you had to do was point the barcode in the direction of the scanner. It was the produce that was a bit more challenging; some of the produce had stickers containing the PLUs, others did not. If they didn't, she had to search through the rolodex hanging above her till. It was an extensive list of all the different types of produce they offered sorted alphabetically; it took a second to search through it, but with practice she would get faster (and hopefully she wouldn't even need it because she would memorize it).

She went through a few more tests. When products didn't scan, she would have to call the department to get a price or go find the price herself and add it in under open-department (that was another intimidating menu). She also had to learn all about the Scanning Code of Practice, and she really had to laugh.

All over the internet, she constantly saw customer service memes of products not scanning or scanning in at the wrong price and customers saying "it must be free then". Wrong. If it doesn't scan, you just find a price. If it scanned incorrectly, there were a few more steps to go through before they actually got the product for free. It kind of freaked Julie out and she made a mental note to call a Supervisor whenever something scanned incorrectly to make sure she handled the process correctly.

By the end of her four hour shift, she was exhausted. It wasn't that it was a long shift, but she was just hit with so much overwhelming information that her brain physically hurt. At this point, she just wanted some ice cream and a nap.

So, on her way out, she grabbed two pints of cookie dough ice cream, rang it through on the self-checkouts and planned out the rest of her night in her mind. Maybe some Netflix? She was a notorious binge-watcher and she was making her way through Brooklyn Nine-Nine at an embarrassing speed. She was supposed to meet up with Flynn, but Flynn would probably just be on her phone all night anyway.

As she rounded the corner following the exit doors, she was pleasantly surprised to see Luke and Alex leaning against the outside wall. She nearly didn't recognize them; she hadn't seen them in regular clothes yet (including Luke without his trusty safety vest and Alex's black Moxie's cap).

Luke's eyes seemed to light up when he noticed her and he immediately kicked off the wall in excitement. "Hey Julie! How was your training?"

Julie was well aware her eyebrows were probably furrowed in confusion because she wasn't expecting to see them right on her way out, and she tried to smooth out her face because he looked so happy to see her and she wasn't trying to give off the wrong vibe. "Oh. It was — well, it was kind of overwhelming but I made it."

Luke seemed to soften at the obvious distress in her features. She did feel much better than she did originally, but the anxiety was still real.

"Don't even stress," he said with a soft eyes, "It seems like a lot at first, but you don't ever have to deal with all those issues all at once. Plus, people are always around to help." He seemed to hesitate before he continued, biting his lip before saying, "Also, I'm there, anytime you need me."

It didn't seem like a lot, and maybe it wouldn't have been had she not felt such an immediate connection with him from the very first day they met, but his words meant everything.

Julie was too captivated by his green gaze to notice the way Alex's eyes were flickering between the both of them, an obvious shit-eating grin covering his facial features. He cleared his throat as loudly as he could manage and revelled in the way Luke glared at him and Julie blushed while avoiding eye contact.

"Julie, do you have any plans now?" Alex asked, holding back a laugh. "We're waiting for Reggie and Carrie and going out to the diner around the corner. Do you want to come?"

Julie's chest squeezed at the mere notion of getting invited to an outing so soon after starting. She felt included right from the get-go, but this just really made it official. It was also entirely possible her heart was beating faster at the idea of spending time with Luke outside of work.

Oh God, was she sweating?

"Julie?" Alex prompted when she didn't say anything except stare at him blankly.

"Oh! Sorry," she blushed once again. "I mean, I was supposed to meet up with Flynn and — wait, do you guys know Flynn? She works here too."

"Yeah, of course we know Flynn!" Alex replied, nodding enthusiastically. "Wait, you mean she hasn't told you all about us yet? I'll need to have words with her."

Luke rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. "Text her and tell her to meet us there; haven't seen her in a hot minute."

The fact that Julie barely thought of the ice cream currently melting in her backpack, solely because she was too excited at the prospect of Luke in an outside setting told her just how whipped she truly was. So, she pulled out her phone and shot a quick message to Flynn. She was even more surprised when Luke said that Reggie and Carrie could meet them there as well (he claimed it was because he was tired of standing around but Julie had the teeniest of suspicions he was only waiting outside to invite her before she went home).

Yes, the thought freaked the hell out of her, but this was supposed to be a new adventurous chapter in her life.

Who said she couldn't embark on this new chapter with Luke and her new friends?

(The ice cream would've melted through her backpack if it wasn't for her apron and sweater, but it was all worth it to watch Luke laugh carelessly for a few hours).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please, be brutally honest!!!!!
> 
> and i'll tell yall now, it's basically going to be julie and luke flirting every chapter and i'm all for it. but it's also going to showcase julie's journey (aka my journey and how i got to be a supervisor) anyway i don't know haha. i just really wanted to write something like this so i hope other people enjoy it too 
> 
> thank you for reading, stay safe!!! x


	2. october

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> julie has her first horror story encounter with a customer & it's halloween at moxie's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!!
> 
> first of all, thank you all for the great support on the first chapter!! i'm so glad you all enjoyed it!! i'm super excited to keep this going!
> 
> here is chapter two. it's a bit lengthy, and maybe a bit on the boring side, but necessary for backstory and just to explain everything, y'know??? 
> 
> i promise next chapter will have all the juke fluff 
> 
> and lastly, for all of you who have worked in any kind of retail/customer service, you will feel this chapter in your SOUL. it may bright back unpleasant, traumatic memories but customer service is hell and i can promise you i see this on the daily.
> 
> anyway, enjoy, thank you so much for reading!!!

Julie's first month on the job flew by.

She wished she could say it went perfectly without any hiccups, but that would be a lie.

After her first three training shifts, with a more experienced cashier, she was feeling pretty good. She had no issues while completing the last phase of her training, so she was expecting that to continue on as she started by herself.

No. That is not how it happened.

One night, she accidentally pressed cash too many times, and cashed out the order when the customer wanted to pay with their debit card. For a mere moment, she panicked: _oh hell, Julie, what did you do?_ And she almost wanted to ring it all through again and redo the transaction, but logic was nagging in the back of her brain. The register clearly thought the total from this transaction had gone into it, and if it didn't, the till would be short.

Just the idea of the till currently being short made her brow start to sweat.

So, she politely apologized to the customer, an elderly lady who was more than understanding, and paged the current Supervisor to her till. Julie explained the situation to her Supervisor, Laurie, who shot her a smile and told her there was an easy fix (this was where the intimidating void menu came into play). Laurie merely voided the cash tender and suddenly it repopulated back onto her screen, and she was able to put it through on debit for the customer.

Julie, being Julie, thanked Laurie and apologized profusely (no one likes messing up, Julie even less). Laurie was nothing but sweet, telling her it was no problem, and that even she did it sometimes. In a turn of events, Laurie thanked Julie for not attempting to fix it on her own or simply redoing the transaction, and made it clear she should always page a Supervisor to void the transaction if she wasn't confident she could do it herself.

It was fine, everything was fixed, and over time, Julie forgot about it.

Until she messed up again.

This time, she was processing a refund for a customer who didn't have a receipt. It something small, an expired loaf of bread, but she remembered it had to go back on a gift card since there was no receipt. She processed it like how she thought it was supposed to be done; however, at the end of the transaction, a message popped up onto her screen alerting her that the gift card activation had failed, to process gift card refund as required and to page a Supervisor for an override.

Once again, Julie started sweating.

She later discovered that nothing under five dollars can be loaded onto a gift card because it won't activate. So, even though refunds without a receipt are supposed to go on a gift card, anything under five dollars can just be given back in cash. In her head, she was thinking about what a _dumb_ and _complicated_ policy that was, but she just smiled and nodded, and once again apologized for the inconvenience.

Julie had been on the job for about a month and a half now. She hadn't messed anything up in a solid three weeks and she was feeling confident in her streak. Learning the produce codes had been another challenge, but she was feeling up to it. She tried to memorize a new one each shift, but of course, a customer would bring through the most exotic of fruits where she would just have to look them up.

Sometimes she wouldn't even recognize the fruit or vegetable, and it was always mortifying to have to ask the customer.

Then there was Luke, with his endless knowledge and expertise, who just constantly yelled out codes at her as he walked by. She found it endearing at first, like he was just trying to help; but by the seventh time in _one_ shift of him yelling the banana code at him (i.e. the easiest one to memorize because it's what customers bought the most), she knew he was just doing it to be annoying. And it was working.

And then sometimes it proved to be useful, when she had no idea what the hell she was even looking for.

"Dragonfruit: 3040."

Julie didn't even look up from where she was keying in the code. "Thank you!"

Overall, her shifts went pretty well.

She walked in, checked in with the front office, they told her what till they wanted her on, and that's what she did. Sometimes, if she was working a later shift, she would also stock the tills with paper bags and receipt rolls, and other times she would focus on cleaning the registers. She didn't have to worry about counting her tray at the end of the night, because this particular store didn't do that, and the Supervisors handled all of the money.

Her customers were also generally pretty decent. She found herself having to fake quite a few laughs and engage in meaningless conversation (especially when certain customers told her their entire life story, and maybe even things they should keep private). Did Julie really need to know they came in to buy cranberry juice because they have a UTI? No.

Julie had the odd time where customers would be a bit difficult or finicky but she hadn't had a horror story yet.

Well, maybe she spoke too soon.

It started off as nothing. The woman she was serving simply said the box of chicken wings were supposed to be buy one, get one free. Julie told her she would call the meat department to find out; the lady was satisfied with that. After the meat department called her, they clarified that it was actually buy two boxes and get the third one free. So, when Julie relayed that information to her customer, she was _not_ expecting the woman's face to curl in a snarl and bark, "No. That's wrong."

"I'm sorry, but I just confirmed with the meat department. I can also check to see if it's in the flyer..." Julie merely turned to the side to grab her flyer; sometimes when they saw physical proof in front of them, they stopped arguing because they could see they were wrong. Sometimes. Although clearly she saw the corresponding sign and understood it wrong anyway.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you."

Julie's eyes flickered from the flyer in her hand to the woman, who had the _audacity_ to speak to her in that tone, with those words. She had to take a deep breath to steady herself; she wasn't sure if she wanted to scream or cry. Her customer (Julie mentally named her 'Karen') rounded on her with angry eyes.

"You are being so disrespectful right now," Karen spat. "The price is wrong, and you're doing nothing to fix the situation. What kind of promotion is buy two, get one free?"

Julie pursed her lips and willed herself not to cry as she spoke her next few words. "I apologize, really, but I just spoke to the meat department and they confirmed the promotion." Grabbing the flyer that she was flipping through when Karen activated her bitch mode, Julie pointed to the exact same promotion under the meat section. "It's also listed right here."

Karen's eyes were ablaze and her jaw locked in anger. "This is absolutely unacceptable. Take them all off my bill, I don't want them." She kept muttering under her breath but Julie just busied herself with getting her the hell out of here as quickly as possible. "You should work on your poor customer service skills, or you shouldn't be in the retail industry, sweetie."

At this point, Julie wasn't sure if she would be able to hold her own, but she saw Karen taking out her American Express card, so she clicked the button without dignifying her with a response. Julie didn't go through her usual spiel when she handed the customer the receipt; she didn't wish Karen a good night, because she had absolutely ruined Julie's night and did not deserve Julie's politeness.

Just when Julie thought she was done and free of her, Karen turned to her with one more menacing smile.

"You better believe I'll be calling head office to lodge a complaint against you." She eyed Julie's name tag. "Julie, is it? Enjoy this job while you have it."

It took everything in Julie's body to not let her jaw fall open; the _audacity_ of this woman was astounding. It was even more embarrassing because Julie had another customer waiting in her queue, who just stared at her with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe the woman actually said that.

Julie rang through his order quickly, making sure to switch off her till light and place her closed sign at the end of the conveyor belt.

The man, dressed in a suit, as if he worked at a bank, assured her she did nothing wrong, and that she handled the situation professionally. He even offered to speak to a manager to clear up the situation. Julie let out a dry chuckle and assured him it wasn't necessary. She thanked him and handed him his receipt; even so, he placed his business card down beside the debit machine. "Just in case," he had said.

Julie squeezed out from behind her till, and walked over to the front office. It was mostly blocked off, only including a small little flap to see inside. Julie quickly explained the situation to the Supervisor on shift and asked if she could have a minute in the back room.

The back storage room was located in between the front office and the tills, but hidden just enough that no customers with prying eyes could see her. It was exactly what she needed because Julie was feeling so upset right about now; she could literally feel the anger bubbling inside her chest, and she just didn't know how to handle it. She had never worked in retail/customer service before, but even as a first-timer, she honestly believed she was handling the situation well until Karen hulked out.

She felt like she needed a rage room, so she could throw plates at the wall and scream. But she also felt like she needed a good cry; that woman hurt her feelings, and Julie was only human. The overwhelming burn in the back of her throat was present, but Julie shoved it down. She was still at work and she still had to go back and finish her shift; it would be pretty obvious if her eyes were all red and swollen.

Luke also happened to be working that night and he was unbelievably perceptive. She noticed overtime he was like that with everyone. If someone looked confused on what they were doing, he wouldn't hesitate to sidle up next to them to help. If they looked sad, he would check in and make sure they were alright; even if they were happy and smiling, he would ask just so he could be happy for them too. He was a precious soul, one that was loved around not only the front end, but the entire store.

So, she wasn't even the least bit surprised when he walked into the backroom when she was in the middle of pacing the floor (she shouldn't be surprised he walked in at all; all his supplies were in the backroom: garbage bags, cleaning supplies and it was also where he kept his jacket and safety vest for outdoors).

"Hey!" He greeted her with a charming smile. When she didn't return it, or give any indication that she heard him, his brows furrowed. "What's up? Are you okay?"

Everyone knows that you can be perfectly handling your own the best way you know how, but as soon as someone asks you if you're _okay_ , it's all game over. That's exactly what happened with Julie.

She could feel it hit her like a dam breaking. The burning in her throat physically hurt as she tried to swallow it down, and her eyes started to prickle as tears formed. She pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes to hide the tears, but there was no use. A sob caught in her throat and she turned away in embarrassment. She was about to ugly cry and she didn't need Luke as a witness.

Julie heard Luke drop everything in his hands and approach her. She didn't feel him touch her, only hover, and she walked away further. "Julie, shit — what happened? Talk to me."

But Julie couldn't find the words, not while tears were still pouring profusely out of her eyes.

It might've seemed sort of stupid, to lose her bearings like this over a dumb customer. She had always heard of horror stories, but hoped she wouldn't experience one herself. She also always heard of customers who constantly looked down on workers such as herself in a retail position; she had never experienced it firsthand like she did then. So, it might have seemed stupid, but for some reason, she still couldn't stop crying.

"Shit — uh, can I — is it alright if I hug you?"

Julie heard Luke mumble many things while she was busy crying her eyes out (he had no idea how to handle crying girls, much less a crying _Julie_ ), but she actually stopped when she heard his question. Ever since her first official day, when she joined him and the rest of the Moxie's crew at the diner around the corner, it had become somewhat of a regular thing. They aimed for once every two weeks, maybe every week if their schedules lined up. So, she had spent some considerable time with Luke, but not nearly as much as she'd like. She mostly saw him at work, but he was always roaming, and didn't have the luxury to stand around and talk to her.

This was different, though.

When he noticed the tell-tale signs on what seemed to be incoming tears, he literally dropped everything. There could be absolutely zero carts lefts in the lobby, but there was nowhere else he would rather be right now. Julie was clearly hurt, something had obviously happened, and he would not be leaving her side until her eyes were dry and she was laughing at some lame joke of his.

Julie didn't really know what to say.

She had no reason to tell him no, he can't hug her, but she also didn't seem close enough with him yet for that to seem natural. It still felt like they were solely _work_ friends, even though they'd seen each other outside of work a few times. But at the same time, he offered, so clearly he didn't care if they were solely _work_ friends or whatever else the hell they were.

Julie didn't want to speak, because her voice did that awful wobbly and strained tone when she was crying or trying not to cry and it would just add to the embarrassment of the situation. So, she merely nodded and that was all it took to have his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her hands were still pressed into her face, attempting to hide the tears so she leaned against his chest as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head.

It wasn't glamorous. She was attempting to not get snot all over his uniform, and Luke kept getting her curls stuck to his lips, but the warmth that radiated from his touch helped her calm down. She still felt embarrassed, and it took her a minute to gather her bearings and pull away from his embrace entirely.

She still kept her hands covering her cheeks, mumbling a small apology over her antics.

"Why are you apologizing?" Luke asked with a pinched brow. He didn't look angry or annoyed, he just looked concerned. "I'm just worried. Do you need me to do anything for you? Do you want some water? Need me to take you home? Kick someone's ass? You name it.”

Julie couldn't _not_ laugh at his words and the action made a similar grin spread across Luke's features.

"It's so dumb," Julie muttered, and before Luke could open his mouth and tell her all the reasons why she was wrong, she continued. "I just had this really bad customer. She wasn't understanding the promotion and she got really mean and said I had terrible customer service skills and to kiss my job goodbye essentially."

Luke's jaw clenched and his normally radiant, electric eyes transformed into a stormy, rainforest green. "Jules, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I want to tell you it's a one-time thing and it doesn't happen often, but I'd be lying."

Julie snorted as she wiped away the remainder of her tears.

"But I highly doubt your customer service skills sucked, I've seen you with customers; you're fantastic," Luke added, completely oblivious to the way Julie's eyes followed his lips, especially after he complimented her. "Customers are very entitled and they get angry when they don't get their way. Don't stress about the whole 'losing your job thing'; that won't actually happen."

Luke saying that won't happen, and her believing that it still will are two very different things.

"It still won't look good when I get a complaint while I'm still on probation."

He wanted to wave her off, but he could clearly see she was in an emotionally fragile state and that wasn't what she needed. "Julie, it's okay, really. We've all had those customers and the Managers deal with their fair too; they'll understand. As long as you give them a heads-up about the situation, you're golden."

His words did make her feel better, but of course, she was still hesitant. It wasn't fun getting threatened with a complaint for merely trying to do your job (especially when it's your customer who can't read).

"What time are you done work?"

Julie was slightly put off by the question. "8:30, why?"

"Great," Luke smiled, decidedly making a plan in his head that Julie wasn't aware of. "You're going to wait for me to finish and we're going out for milkshakes. No one can cry over milkshakes."

An immediate blush spread over her cheeks. "No, Luke, that's okay. I'm feeling better now, really."

He seemed unfazed. "The fact that you're passing up a free milkshake indicates the situation is much worse than I thought. I finish at 9, okay?"

Julie didn't see the point in arguing, and she wasn't really sure if she wanted to argue. She nodded with a small smile and that was enough to satisfy Luke.

He ducked his head to meet her eyes. "You feeling better now? No more tears? Because if I'm being totally honest, they freak me out."

"You handled it pretty alright," Julie tried to joke at the hand of her embarrassing meltdown.

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, because it was you." He truly had no idea about the effects his words had on Julie's body. "You're too cute to be crying, Jules, especially over a Karen."

Julie wanted to focus on his similar association with the name Karen because it was so engrained in society at this point, but she couldn't focus anything other than the fact he referred to her as cute. She was definitely blushing now and she decided it was finally time to go back to work, or else she'd melt into a puddle right there and then (while as the packer, he would have to clean anyway; ironic).

"Thanks, Luke," she opted to keeping her response simple and non-flirty. Her emotions were too scattered right now to attempt to flirt properly. Luke didn't seem to mind, the right side of his lip quirking in a crooked smile.

His vibrant green eyes dropped to her hands that were tucking strands of curls behind her ears, in what he assumed was a nervous tick; her eyes were darting everywhere but at him. “Also,” he added with a click of his tongue. “If I haven’t made it clear by now, I’m always a call away.” His fingers moved to his back pocket where he pulled out one of the store’s cordless phones. “Literally.”

Julie nodded with a soft smile. She knew he was only a call away but she also had her mind set on being as independent as possible. That included holding her own as best as she could, and maybe only call on him when she actually desperately needed it (i.e. when she was reduced to tears by a Karen.)

His attention was pulled away when he was paged to the front for carts. He shot her a smirk, before slowly starting to back out of the room. “Duty calls. I’ll meet you out front when I’m done!”

When he was gone, Julie couldn’t rid herself of the anxious, yet excited feeling blooming in her chest.

That was the first time Luke and Julie hung out outside of work, just the two of them.

* * *

Julie could positively say her confidence grew the more shifts she worked during the month of October. It was a given that she would deal with her fair share of difficult customers, but something changed since the last time. She decided that she wasn't going to let anyone, much less an individual relying on her service, to degrade her or mistreat her in any way.

So, when there were issues, Julie always made sure she checked in with the department and had accurate information when she relayed it back to the customer. Most of the time, they were fine and incredibly easy to handle; other times, they were a bit more difficult and when Julie saw the tell-tale signs of a disgruntled customer, she paged a Supervisor or a Manager so they could explain to them exactly what Julie had.

Of course, the customer agreed with no issues because it was said by someone in authority (insert eye roll here).

But through practice, Julie found herself becoming firmer in her words, and when a customer argued, she stood her ground and told them exactly how it was. She was surprised at first when it started working; her confidence actually made her seem more authoritative, and customers were listening to what she was saying and not arguing.

Julie had always heard that retail experience would toughen you up, teach you how to hate people for their ugliest features (then there was Reggie who said, right on her first day, that this job would ruin her); the more customers she came into contact with, the more she realized the truth in both those statements.

But it wasn't to say that it was bad all the time. It wasn't.

Julie became fast friends with the cashiers all around her. When she worked earlier during the day, she met the old-timers, the sweet older ladies who had been there for decades. They were incredibly adorable and they loved to talk about their grandchildren. But most of Julie's classes were during the day, and so she ended up working many nights. It was alright because Flynn worked nights usually too, and they waited for each other to finish so they could go home.

Ever since they all went to the diner that first night, Julie had unofficially become part of the inner circle (that's what she called it — they were all so incredibly close with each other, she didn't know how else to refer to it). Also since that first day, Julie had learned a lot from her new friends.

When asked about what she was studying in university, she told them about the music program she was starting. When Alex started to snicker, Luke gently informed her that Alex, Reggie and himself were currently second years in the same program. It was odd; how could she find these three boys at her new job, have an instant connection with one of them and then find out they were basically following the same career path? (When she asked Flynn later on why she never told her, Flynn told her that she genuinely didn't know). It turned out the three boys met in first year in residence, decided to form a band and move in together for the remainder of their program. It all seemed very sudden and _a lot_ but just watching the three of them around each other, Julie knew it was meant to be.

That night at the diner, she also met Carrie Wilson for the first time. At first glance, the blonde looked incredibly intimidating and it really felt as if she was going to bite Julie's head off when Reggie introduced them. But instead, she smiled, apologized for her foul mood, because her shift had been a disaster and told Julie it was nice to meet her. Carrie worked in the bakery, just like Flynn; but whereas Flynn was a cake decorator, Carrie was the baker, who usually worked extremely early hours, such as starting at five in the morning. This particular day, two of their employees called in (Flynn had an evening class and wasn't able to cover) so Carrie worked her early shift, and came back to cover the evening shift. She was exhausted, annoyed, and Julie completely understood the scowl on her face. It turned out Carrie was a bit older, being a third year at Berkeley, and she was also in the music program (seriously, what was it about this store that attracted musicians?). She lived in an apartment off-campus with some roommates, who she occasionally performed with in an unofficial dance group.

Julie felt a shift ever since that night. She would walk in, see Reggie to her right and he would immediately run over to say hello (sometimes he forgot he was stacking round objects and everything would start rolling right off onto the floor, but his bright smile didn't seem bothered). Instead of going left and walking past the front end to the break room, Julie opted to take the long way and walk around the store to get to the break room. That way, she could stop by bakery and say hi to Flynn or Carrie if they were there. She normally found Carrie nursing a travel mug full of coffee, and Flynn hiding in the cooler, icing smeared all over her black apron.

She usually found Alex somewhere down one of the aisles, stocking the shelves, or in the grocery office, in the back, in front of the break room. Sometimes he would just be sitting, staring into the open air, contemplating his life decisions. Julie would say hi, snap him out of his thoughts, and he would send her a charming smile and reiterate how much he loved his job. They both knew that was a lie.

Finding Luke when he was working proved to be more of a difficult task; he was unable to stay still, and it wasn't as if his job description even allowed it. He was either outside, checking the washrooms, roaming the store to put products back in their rightful space or he was caught up on cash because it got busy and they needed to clear out the lines. But she eventually always found him, and he would stop and send her a slow, heart-stopping smile that had Julie momentarily forgetting how to breathe.

Ever since he took her out for milkshakes after her first workplace horror story, their relationship slowly changed. Julie found herself feeling more comfortable around him, and whenever she caught him on a slow night, they could stand and talk about anything for ages. Sometimes she was unable to hold her tongue and found herself firing sassy comebacks at his dorky comments; at first, she worried that he wouldn't get it, think she was serious and not catch onto her sarcasm. But then he laughed, eyes twinkling mischievously and she knew he could dish it just as well as he could take it. It was the best type of relationship.

By the end of the month, Julie was feeling more comfortable than ever and when she saw the signs posted all around the store of a Halloween Costume Competition, she was actually looking forward to it. She wondered if it was one of those things that no one actually took seriously because they thought it was lame, but after meeting up for one of their diner meetups, she quickly realized everyone was extremely into it. This was also the night they decided to add Julie to their iMessage group chat, and Julie tried not to visibly stress about the fact that Luke now had her number.

While Julie was feeling comfortable, she didn't know exactly how hard they went for Halloween, so she kept it relatively simple. She ended up going as Minnie Mouse, complete with the dress, ears, gloves, black make-up to draw on her button nose and freckles, and yes, she did wear the tail, and yes, she regretted it as soon as Luke pulled on it with a laugh.

Even though Carrie started work at five in the morning, she didn't let that stop her. When Julie arrived later that day, she stopped by bakery to see the blonde bombshell dressed as Cher from the movie Clueless (you know the outfit: yellow and plaid). Julie was floored at how good she looked; her blonde locks tied the outfit together and she truly knocked it out of the park (this was the moment Julie realized all of them went _hard_ for Halloween). Flynn had refused to share her costume idea with Julie until the day, so Julie snuck into the back of the bakery department to see Flynn, decorating a cake in her Dorothy get-up. She wore the entire outfit, including the ruby shoes, and hair plaited into braids. She looked fantastic and Julie really regretted her costume choice now.

When she saw someone with a blonde wig and a hammer that they were actively using to hit the person next to them with, she wasn't surprised in the slightest when they whirled around and she recognized them as Reggie. "Hey, Julie! It's me, Reggie! Wait, no — it's Thor! Look at my hammer!"

Julie's eyes squinted to determine who the figure next to him was. They were dressed in a spandex Spiderman suit, and by the tall and lanky figure, Julie assumed it to be Alex. Once he said his next few words, she knew for sure. "Dude, that sounds so sexual."

"Oh, shit — sorry!" Reggie whirled to face her, blushing furiously. "Not my _hammer_ , just my — you know, hammer.

Alex clapped his hands, the sound muffled due to his suit. "Killed it, bro. Really murdered it."

"Shut up, and respect your King of Asgard."

Julie was positive Alex rolled his eyes, but she couldn't see it.

"Well, you two really went all out," Julie laughed, admiring the costumes in detail. "Avengers was a smart move, everyone loves superheroes. Where's your Captain?"

Reggie's eyes twinkled mischievously. "It's funny you say that because —" He nodded his head over Julie's shoulder, and she whirled around to see Luke, decked out in red, white and blue (and yes, shield in tow). "There he is!"

"Oh, hey Minnie!" Luke smirked, striding in her direction with all the confidence in the world. He had kept the headpiece off, choosing instead to display his messy locks.

Julie raised her eyebrows, but sent him her own suggestive grin. "Captain," she greeted.

"I'm winning this competition, right?" He asked when he finally approached her. Alex wasted no time in jabbing Luke's abdomen, but with the fake muscle padding of the costume, he hardly even felt it. "I mean, I'm the Captain! I have to."

The three boys bickered for a little while longer, and after Luke pulled on Julie's tail and quite literally broke the attachment piece, she decided it was probably time to get to work before he broke anything else.

They ended up choosing two winners based on the entire store's votes. Alex won as Spiderman, which didn't really surprise her, as anyone who was brave enough to wear a full-on spandex outfit for eight hours to work truly deserved to win. Carrie also won, because her resemblance to the movie character was just _unreal_. It wasn't much, but it was fun to get creative and dress-up.

That day marked the end of her second month and she was happier than ever that she made the decision to move away from home. It was also that night that she learned Luke's band, Sunset Curve, played gigs every once in a while (wherever they could book them), and when Julie showed her excitement, Luke shyly suggested she should come to their next one. It wasn't often that Julie witnessed a shy Luke, what with all his suave confidence, so this was extremely amusing for her. But he instantly bounded back with a smirk, insisting that a trade was more than fair, and if she were to see him perform, he would _love_ to see her perform.

Julie found this the perfect opportunity to get a little flirty, replying with a coy, "If you want to see that, you'll have to earn it."

His green eyes lit up with a fire she had yet to see, and when her eyes dropped to where he was biting his lip, his smirk reappeared. "I'll take that challenge."

Julie was really glad she decided to relocate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay for chapter two!!
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed!!
> 
> next chapter will be november, and get ready for all the juke feels. 
> 
> also, i clearly made reference to a group chat (and if yall know me and my fics, yall know i love a good text message) so i'm asking for some help. what should be the group chat name???? hit me with your worsts im excited
> 
> p.s. come chat with me on tumblr @ruzek-halstead (idk how to imbed the link, i'm hopeless)
> 
> thanks for reading, stay safe!!! x


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